


climb into the hidden machine

by sandyk



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Alternate Timelines, F/M, Gen, Time Travel, background spideychelle, not mcu tony stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-14 06:08:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29662920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sandyk/pseuds/sandyk
Summary: MJ gets thrown back in time to way way back, like dinosaurs back in time. It's terrifying. At least she isn't alone.
Relationships: Michelle Jones & Tony Stark
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7
Collections: Trope Bingo: Round Sixteen





	climb into the hidden machine

**Author's Note:**

> not mine, no profit garnered. for the trope bingo spot time travel. title from r.e.m.'s sing for the submarine. thanks a!!!

MJ had told them, she'd told them she was not going to be the one they sent anywhere back in time. "There's no good time for a black woman," she'd said.

Peter, naturally, had argued that pre-dawn of civilization or before homo sapiens it wouldn't matter and MJ had said, "Yeah, I want to get crushed by a dinosaur chicken with no internet or working cellphone. You dorks can do the travel part."

But of course their time travel machine wasn't stable and MJ was the one shoved back in time. This was definitely some Jurassic era forest she was in. Maybe not Jurassic but MJ had never had a dinosaur phase. She had no idea. She heard something buzzing, like a bee or a mosquito? She really didn't want to see what dinosaur bugs looked like. She'd probably die if one bit her. 

She probably shouldn't leave the spot where she'd landed on her butt. Except to avoid bugs, she should do that. Or rampaging feral chickens. Peter would have to come back and get her. Peter was probably already freaking out, doing his best. 

But she was basically standing in a weird almost clearing surrounded by sort of trees. What would evolve into trees? How did any of this work? She should have paid more attention and studied the minute Peter even said dawn of civilization. She should have known she'd end up here. 

MJ got her phone out and started filming. It would help someone, theoretically. She turned in a circle and saw a person. Another person. Tony Stark? "Stark?"

"Yup," he said. "Time travel. Great minds think alike I guess."

"Yeah, but are you from before me or after me -"

"Or we're from alternate timelines that branched apart long after this moment," Tony said. "You look familiar, but I don't know you. You know me?"

"Of course, I'm Michelle, I know - I know Peter," she said.

"Peter? Like, Quill, or Jackson or --"

"No, I don't know the guy who directed Lord of the Rings. They refused to cast black hobbits, you know," MJ said. "Sorry, neither of those Peters. What year are you from?"

"2019," Tony said. "How about you?"

"Alternate timeline for sure," MJ said. "I don't know this you, I don't know why I seem familiar to you." At first, she'd been happy to see Tony alive. She could tell Peter about a timeline where he survived. But that was apparently also a timeline where Peter Parker never met Tony Stark. Poor Tony Stark, she thought. She said, "Do you have Spider-man?"

"Do I have one? In my timeline? No, he sounds fun," Tony said. 

"He is fun," MJ said. 

"Peter unknown last name is Spider-man, if that guy ever shows up, I assume," Tony said. 

"Maybe," MJ said, shrugging. "I bet you have a way to get back." He was in a modified version of the nanotech armor. 

"Sort of," he said. He fiddled with something on his watch band. "It might take me a few days, there's a -" he gestured with his hands. "Short version is alignment of the stars."

"I'm waiting for the jerks who sent me to come get me," she said. "Should we be worried about dinosaurs? Or changing evolution?"

"Probably, but a lot of this won't survive the next extinction level event. So maybe not. My calculations were this time would be safe," Stark said. "I can sense at least fifty feet in every direction so we can explore if you want."

MJ crossed her arms and looked down. Luckily today was a Doc Martens day, she had sturdy boots. They were also bright pink. She didn't see much pink around. She said, "You're bored?"

"Are you kidding? Not in the slightest. My suit's taking in a ton of information. I just thought you might want to do something more than stand around."

MJ said, "I was taught if you're lost or your boyfriend and his stupid science pals send you back in time, stay in one place."

"You were well prepared for every eventuality," he said. "That's why I told you I would notice if your boyfriend or his science pals showed up. How old is your boyfriend?"

"Seventeen," MJ said. "I'm two months older than him."

"Genius kid, then. Hey, I was just checking. When I was seventeen, I got hit on a lot by older guys. A few older women, but more guys," Tony Stark said. He started walking to MJ's left. She decided to follow him. 

After twenty feet or so when everything looked the same, there was a weird cackling sound and then it started to rain. Stark erected some kind of barrier of energy over top of them. She said, "It's not even rain like we have. I can't believe how far back we are. What a colossally stupid idea."

"Hey," Stark said. "Unlike your teen whiz boyfriend, I did extensive research. There's a comet coming, we'll leave no traces. And we can learn and --"

"Dinosaurs, some people are just super into dinosaurs," MJ said. "Guess what? I think that's one."

It was horrifying and huge, bigger than anything she'd ever seen and it was moving. It did have feathers. She turned on her phone and started filming through the now clear barrier. It was grotesque and smelled and the shimmer of whatever was almost like rain on the feathers and the other surfaces was so so strange and beautiful. Then the thing tried to poke them with its beak. The barrier stopped the beak as the thing poked poked at them. "Fuck," MJ said. "Whoa."

"Yeah," Stark said. "Whoa."

"Hey," MJ said. "Thanks for being here so I didn't get eaten by this thing. Or pecked to death."

"Good thing I'm not dead like in your timeline," Stark said. 

"That wasn't that hard to figure out," she said. Maybe it was. How she knew from just the year that he wasn't from her timeline. 

The dinosaur wandered away. She said, "How big do you think its brain is?"

"Hard to say," Stark said. "Plus, we're assuming brain size correlates to how we're defining intelligence."

"Maybe you are, I was just thinking, I bet its brain is fucking huge. Wherever the head part was, everything was just huge. I wonder what its genitals looks like."

"Yeah, whoa," Stark said. "I'm glad I ran into you. This is fun."

"If I don't think about it. When I think about it, I'm terrified," she said. 

The sort of rain passed. Stark collected some of the liquid and walked slowly around in a small circle, gathering data, she assumed. It was starting to get dark. Something in trees that weren't quite trees started glowing. Stark noticed the glowing, too. She said, "I doubt those are fireflies."

"We called 'em lightning bugs where I was a kid," Stark said. 

"Got it," MJ said. "I think I've moved into the freaking out phase."

"Don't worry," Stark said. "I can get you home."

"That's not my timeline," she said. She crossed her arms and tried some deep breathing. "I know you're a super genius, but how would you even?"

"Maybe I'll appreciate the challenge," he said. "I would appreciate the challenge."

"Great, sounds great." She took out her phone and recorded a few views. Then she just flipped through the things she had access to without any internet. She took way too many pictures of Peter. She took just about the right amount of pictures of Ned. She looked at the pictures she'd already taken of being in Jurassic Park, the actual time, and imagined cropping them or what she'd tweak to post on Instagram. Not that she would. 

Stark was standing behind her, and he very slowly reached out to touch her shoulder. She had close to an hour to shrug him off but she didn't. Not really an hour, just a few seconds, but it was nice of him. He squeezed her shoulder. "I'll get you home. You'll get to yell at your Spiderteenfriend and he will be so sorry."

"I'm not a superhero, you know. I'm not prepared for this," she said.

"Hey, you're doing better than some people I know. Who exactly is prepared to land in the land before time? Besides me, since I actually did prepare and plan for it," Stark said. 

He let go of her and turned suddenly. "Hey, look at that," he said. "Go get rescued."

She sprung up and there was Peter, finally, standing where she'd landed. He looked deservedly frantic. She wasn't in the headspace to play it cool, she basically ran right at him. "MJ," Peter murmured into her hair. "I'm so sorry."

"You should be," she said. "Take me home now." She looked over her shoulder and Stark was sort of hiding. She shouted, "Bye, thanks for the help."

Peter had already strapped her into some contraption he was wearing and he hit a button that made a noise. 

After she was chemically scoured and gave up her clothes and let them take what they needed from her phone, she was curled up on the bed in Peter's room in the compound. She was dressed in his clothes which even though they were in the Avengers compound, all she could smell was May's detergent choice. 

She had a freak out hangover, that feeling like she'd run three miles without stopping. She was half watching Forensic Files because she couldn't quite sleep. Peter came in and cuddled up to her from behind. He smelled like chemistry lab and the weird tangy lavender the sanitizer at the compound was scented with. He carefully smoothed her hair back from her neck. "I'm very very sorry," he said. 

"You should be. I could have --" MJ was still a little scared. 

"I know," Peter said. "If that other Tony hadn't been there …"

"He had his shit together, thank God," MJ said. She leaned back a little so Peter would hug her with his incredibly ripped arms. He got the hint. 

"I promise, we're making sure no one gets sucked into the time machine again. Thanks for taking all the pictures and videos. I can't believe you saw a dinosaur." He'd lapsed a little into sounding more excited than she appreciated. 

"Yeah, doesn't make up for anything, though."

"No, no, I know." He hugged her tighter. "Sorry again." 

"Good," she said. She found she could sleep then, if she had Peter and the drone of Forensic Files in her ears.


End file.
